5 film revolving around India’s 1st and only lady Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

NP NEWS 24 ONLINE – The Iron Lady of India, the former Prime Minister from 1966-77 and 1980-84 whose 101st birth anniversary is today, led a controversial life, more eventful and dramatic than any public personality of her time. As the only daughter of Pandit Nehru, she had it all. Her remarkable transformation from the daughter of Nehru to a powerful daughter of India, the Emergency and hunger for power, the doting mother and wily politician, the fashion icon and much-reviled dynast.

It goes on and on. A famous slogan of the 1970s says it all, ‘Indira is India and India is Indira.’ A life that began with a dream, unfortunately, ended in tragedy. She was assassinated, in October 1984, by the very men hired to protect her.

Even after having a life like a Bollywood film, there is not even a single movie that is solely dedicated towards this Iran Lady of India. So let us look at some movies which revolves around India’s first and only lady Prime Minister.

Indu Sarkar (2017)

Madhur Bhandarkar’s Bollywood film Indu Sarkar that released earlier this year, depicts the Emergency Era. The movie even before its release had seen protest and agitations leading nowhere. Not to forget about the death threat to Bhandarkar. The film is set in the period of the emergency in India and stars Kirti Kulhari, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Anupam Kher, Tota Roy Chowdhury and Supriya Vinod.

Aandhi (1975)

It was alleged that the movie is said to be based on the life of Indira Gandhi and was banned in 1975 as Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister then. In 1977, after she lost the election, Janata Party came into power and the ban was lifted. The film was premiered on the state-run television channel. ‘Aandhi’ stars Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen in lead roles. The story is based on a chance meeting of a couple who meet each other after several years, when the wife now an established politician, happens to stay in the hotel during an election campaign. Though both of them feel closeness, she doesn’t step forward fearing her career might get jeopardised.

Kissa Kursi Ka (1977)

Directed by Amrit Nahata, the film was a satirical take on Indira Gandhi and Sanjay Gandhi and was banned by the Indian government during the emergency period. ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’ has Shabana Azmi, Utpal Dutt and Raj Babbar in lead roles. The film was surrounded by controversies and the prints were confiscated. The movie exposes the inner workings of the government and the way the decisions are manipulated for the individual security.

Amu (2005)

Directed by Shonali Bose, the film is based on the director’s own novel of the same name. Starring Konkona Sen Sharma, Brinda Karat and Ankur Khanna, the film revolves around the 1984 anti-Sikh riots of India where thousands of Sikhs were massacred. The film faced problems with the censor board of India and cleared with six politically motivated cuts and ‘A’ certificate, making it ineligible to be telecast on the Indian television.

31st October (2016)

Starring Soha Ali Khan and Vir Das, the historical action drama film is based on a true story focusing on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and its aftermath. The film portrays the story of a Sikh family trapped in a riot-affected national capital where armed mobs burn and kill Sikhs, pillaging their establishments.

Madras Cafe (2013)

Though not directly to Indira Gandhi the film revolves around the life of his son former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, his assassination and the working of LTTE. Released in 2013, Madras Cafe stars John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri, Rashi Khanna, Siddharth Basu and Prakash Belawadi in lead roles. The political thriller spy film is directed by Shoojit Sircar and is set up in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The film revolves around the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and India’s intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war. Several Tamil groups demanded a ban on the movie.